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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851228">Whumptober 2020 -  05 - Failed Escape</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/pseuds/DinerGuy'>DinerGuy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Failed escape, Family, Friendship, Gen, Heat-related Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped, Ohana, Stranded at sea, Suspense, Whump, Whumptober 2020, internal injury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:41:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,738</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851228</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/pseuds/DinerGuy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It isn't the first time Magnum's been grabbed at gunpoint and forced out to the wreck of the Rosalita. Unfortunately, it also won't be the first time he's been injured and stranded at sea.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Whumptober 2020 -  05 - Failed Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>And here we have another edition of "Deej wrote a thing and then held onto it for months."</p><p>Disclaimer applies that I have no medical training and didn't have the mental energy to research so part of this is purposefully vague.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Being kidnapped at gunpoint and forced out into the middle of the ocean to find the wreck of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rosalita </span>
  </em>
  <span>once was more than enough for Magnum. Unfortunately, the three guys who'd jumped him and Higgins didn't seem to care if he wanted to go along for the ride or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're here!" the bald man behind the wheel announced, glancing from the screen in front of him to the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the other two men who had been guarding the prisoners glared at Magnum. "You'd better be telling the truth about this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, I'm right," he replied. "But, like I said, there's no gold left."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Huh, we'll see about that," the blond man snarled, shaking his head disbelievingly. He shook his head and turned to his friends. "You get down there. I'll watch these two."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man behind the wheel and the other nodded, although the expressions on all of their faces told just how easy they thought the task of guarding Magnum and Higgins would be. Compared to diving down to a shipwreck to bring up what they expected would be a decent fortune in stolen gold, sitting on the deck and watching two tied-up prisoners would be a piece of cake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum and Higgins were both sitting on the deck of the boat—which, Magnum thought, was just a little bigger than the one he'd been brought out on the first time he'd been dragged to the site of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rosalita</span>
  </em>
  <span> wreck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other similarities between their current predicament and that previous time weren't lost on Magnum. He wondered if he and Higgy had been followed and hadn't noticed or if something else was to blame; he was leaning more toward them being tailed, but they'd need to do a thorough check of their phones and vehicles once they'd dealt with the current situation, just in case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They'd been following up on a lead at a junkyard when the men had jumped them from behind. There had barely been time to hear the crunch of boots on pavement before a particularly dirty blow had sent Magnum reeling to the ground, stars dancing in his vision, the sounds of the men threatening Higgins fading around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum had vaguely felt himself being dragged to his feet and his wrists tied tightly behind him before he was dumped in the back of a vehicle—which he'd later seen was an unmarked black cargo van. By the time he'd recovered his senses enough to really take in what was going on around him, they'd been headed to an unknown location at a fairly high speed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Higgins had been sitting propped against the side of the van, similarly restrained. She'd noticed him shifting and whispered to ask if he was okay, but he'd been too focused on not throwing up to say much—and the man in the passenger seat who'd waved a pistol and snapped at them to be quiet had quickly put a damper on any further conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the van had come to a halt and the back doors had been thrown open. Their captors had ordered them out of the vehicle, and Magnum had been able to tell from the smell even before he'd managed to stumble out that they were at a marina of some sort. It was well before sunrise, so everything was cloaked in foggy darkness, but there was no mistaking where they were. He and Higgins had then been roughly shoved down a wooden boardwalk to a moored boat, where one of the men had ordered them to sit on the deck as the others cast off and pointed the boat toward the open sea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed the men had assumed there was little chance their prisoners would be able to get free, but Magnum had been working steadily at the ropes around his wrists since they'd started off, and he was pretty sure he was making some headway. It was slow going; not only were the ropes tight enough to cut off circulation, but he'd had to stop several times when their captors had walked behind them or turned a steady eye on him to ask questions about the wreckage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a little difficult to track the passage of time, but the sun had already begun to rise—which meant they'd been on the water for over an hour already. He wasn't sure exactly how much time he'd lost while unconscious in the van, but they hadn't been more than twenty or thirty minutes from the closest marina when they'd been jumped around four that morning—and no, it hadn't been ideal to be working that early in the morning, but it had been the best time to explore their lead. Regardless of where they'd driven before casting off in the boat, with sunrise being about a quarter to six, Magnum estimated the current time to be about seven o'clock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which meant it had taken much longer than he would have liked, but Magnum breathed a small sigh of relief when he finally started to feel some slack in his bonds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Any luck?" Higgins whispered, leaning closer to him even as she watched the two divers suit up and prepare to dive over the boat's side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded once as he whispered back, "Yeah. I think I'm almost there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They are not going to be pleased when they discover you're right," she remarked, her eyes darting back to their captors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," he said again. "Which is why we need to do something before they come back up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Any brilliant ideas?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't answer, gritting his teeth as he focused on trying to pull his left hand out of the coils surrounding it. The rough rope tore at his skin, but he ignored it. He was so close… And then he felt a rush of satisfaction as he finally got his arm free. He could feel the sting of the rope burn, but he was no longer tied up, and that was all that mattered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing back at him, Higgy's eyes lit up as she noticed he'd managed to work himself free. "So we jump him once the others go under?" She tilted her head, indicating the one man who was remaining on board.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum nodded and quickly finished removing the ropes from his wrists, then felt for the ones binding Higgins. He knew he couldn't risk turning or looking behind himself in case he drew their captors' attention. "We're going to have to move fast," he whispered. He knew he didn't need to explain to his partner the disadvantages of having to get to their feet before being able to rush their guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He managed to free his partner quickly enough, and then they both waited for an opening to take control of the situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, it didn't take long for that opening to appear. When the guard turned to watch his buddies head underwater, he clearly wasn't expecting either prisoner to try anything. He definitely was not expecting the arms that suddenly wrapped around him from behind as a smaller pair of hands wrenched his loosely held weapon free.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum tightened his grip on the other man, applying the chokehold steadily until the guy stopped struggling and dropped, unconscious, in his arms. He slowly lowered the kidnapper to the deck, then glanced over and smirked at Higgins, who had been covering the struggle with the gun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See? Easy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She just rolled her eyes and tossed him one of the ropes from which they'd just freed themselves. "Here, tie him up before his buddies come back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have plenty of time," Magnum replied, even as he grabbed the ropes. "They just started their dive."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lifting an eyebrow, Higgins just shook her head and headed for the cockpit and began turning dials on the radio. By the time Magnum had the criminal secured, she'd informed the Coast Guard of their location and situation and requested Detective Katsumoto at HPD be notified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought the detective would appreciate the heads-up since these men are clearly connected to Hannah in some way, even if just by coincidence if they'd overheard something about you knowing where the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rosalita </span>
  </em>
  <span>is," she told Magnum when he looked at her in question. "Not to mention our assault and subsequent kidnapping took place onshore, within HPD jurisdiction. Now," she continued, turning back to the boat's controls, "let's get ourselves home, shall we?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum frowned. "Wait, what? You want to leave those guys down there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well"—she shrugged—"we did call in their location, and they </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>threaten to kill us both several times already, so I'd say it's more than fair."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn't look convinced. "You can't be serious."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I'm very serious." She nodded to underscore her point. "What part of them threatening us did you not understand? They flat-out told you they would shoot me and dump me overboard if you lied to them. I don't think men like that deserve anything from us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum shook his head. "I can't believe this. You actually want to leave them in the middle of the ocean with no way back to shore?" he asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But we're not leaving them with no way back," she replied simply. "You heard me give the Coast Guard our location; they'll be here within the hour. Those men may not even come up to ask you more questions about the gold before then. And if they do, well, then I guess they'll just have to tread water until law enforcement arrives."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, but you of all people should know how it is to be stranded in the middle of the ocean," Magnum argued, spreading his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins sighed. "Seriously, Magnum? Those men will </span>
  <em>
    <span>happily</span>
  </em>
  <span> kill both of us without hesitation, and you just want to wait around for them to come back up so we can give them a ride back to shore?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. "Well, yeah, basically. Higgins!" he added when she gave him another look. "Come on; we can't just leave them. Do you really want to get back to shore and then hear a report that two stranded divers got attacked by sharks while waiting for the Coast Guard? Even if they are potential murderers?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look she gave him said she was far from done arguing the point, but she didn't get much further than just the glare before there was a loud splash at the side of the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Magnum and Higgins whirled around to see the two divers climbing up the ladder at the back of the boat. Magnum barely had time to wonder what they were doing back so soon before the men caught sight of their prisoners standing near the wheel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" one of the men yelled. He sounded both angry and shocked at the turn of events he'd returned to find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop right there," Higgins replied calmly. She'd drawn the gun from her waistband the moment they'd heard the men resurfacing, and she now lifted it to point between the two kidnappers. "Hands where I can see them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They slowly complied but kept their hands low, near their waists, as if waiting for the opportunity to make a move. Magnum could tell by their expressions the men still thought he and Higgins were just "normal" civilians. Granted, nothing about them screamed "former special ops" or "former spy," which worked to their advantage a lot of the time. However, it also could create more trouble in cases like this one, where the bad guys thought they had a chance at easily getting the upper hand with the right moves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With Higgins keeping the gun on the two criminals, Magnum stepped toward the open storage locker, planning to use the coil of rope inside to restrain the other men until the authorities could take custody.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment his back was turned, the kidnappers made their move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flurry of movement had Magnum whirling back around to see the shorter of the two men, a muscular guy with close-cropped dark hair, had thrown a large diving knife at Higgins. She'd sidestepped to avoid the weapon, and her attacker was now running at her, even as his taller buddy headed for Magnum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum was fully expecting the </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack </span>
  </em>
  <span>of a gunshot and for the guy rushing Higgins to drop but, instead, heard the disheartening </span>
  <em>
    <span>click </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the gun jamming and failing to fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was all he had time to register before he had to sidestep the tackle from the much larger bald kidnapper coming at him. He avoided the strike and was in a fighting stance before the man had even turned around. He heard a grunt and a yell from Higgins but couldn't look in her direction before he was ducking a punch and throwing his own in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy he found himself fighting was relying more on brute strength than actual fighting technique. Still, it didn't particularly matter when the man was so much larger than Magnum and quite energetically raining down a flurry of blows. </span>
  <em>
    <span>'I couldn't have fought the smaller guy?'</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought wryly as he warded off yet another fist coming at his face and followed it up with a jab of his own. Of course, he wasn't seriously suggesting Higgins be the one to fight the muscular goon… but he did wish this guy was just a little less… huge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The deck rolled and pitched under them as waves swept past the boat. Magnum found himself struggling to stay upright while also trying to avoid being taken off his feet by the man he was fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next wave that hit was a particularly large one, and it was enough to make Magnum stumble. He tried to duck the punch coming at him but only succeeded in losing his footing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had moved closer to the storage locker during the fistfight, and the angle of the deck sent Magnum directly into the corner of it. In the worst possible timing, the boat pitched drastically yet again, lending a speed to his fall that sent him smashing hard into the sharp edge of the locker. Something gave inside of him with a muffled </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack </span>
  </em>
  <span>as a sickeningly cold feeling sent frigid fingers of agony spreading from his left side up into and through his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum's entire mind seemed to cloud over with the pain suddenly rushing through him. He gasped, his body reflexively curling in on itself. He still couldn't get a breath in, and his vision went dark and spotty as he struggled for air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were sounds from far off, yelling and shouting, but he just couldn't make himself focus…</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Higgins had been forced to focus all of her attention on the man in front of her. The guy was a head taller than she was and eager to win, but she was determined to give him a run for his money. She'd been rewarded with seeing the uncertainty in his eyes as he'd realised he had far underestimated her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boat was pitching in the waves being kicked up around it, and she'd nearly slipped once, which had cost her the chance to block an oncoming blow. She'd still managed to duck and miss the brunt of it, although the man's fist glanced across her jaw and sent her stumbling back a step. But she'd recovered and moved in to deliver a series of jabs when a pained cry from Magnum sent her heart dropping into her stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a different sound than what she'd have expected had his opponent simply landed a lucky blow. No, this wasn't just pained… it sounded almost strangled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something was wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced over her shoulder but didn't have a chance to take in much of anything before a flurry of movement pulled her focus back to her own fight. The blur of a fist coming towards her face filled her peripheral vision, and she ducked as she turned, evading the blow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could move in again, there was a shout from the guy Magnum had been fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey! Stand down, or I kill your boyfriend!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins hesitated, wondering if this was just a tactic to distract her, but then the man in front of her grinned and stepped back. She didn't let down her guard even as she looked over in the direction where she knew Magnum was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sight had her gasping subconsciously. Her partner was lying on the deck, arms wrapped around his stomach, legs tucked up as if attempting to relieve pressure on his torso. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, his tan face was noticeably pale, and Higgins immediately spotted the deep lines of pain creasing his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bald man standing over Magnum wore a threatening smile as he watched Higgins take in the scene. "Stand down, or he'll get worse." He lifted a foot to prod the fallen man's side roughly, eliciting a sharp hiss from Magnum that made Higgins' stomach clench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes darted around the boat, but she had already realised resistance would be futile. She didn't have much recourse against two muscular goons, not with her unarmed and Magnum seriously injured. "Okay," she said slowly, loosening her fists and lifting her hands. "Okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's more like it," Baldy said. He leant over to grab a length of rope from the locker and tossed it to his friend. "Tie her up," he ordered. "And make sure you do it tighter this time; don't need her escaping again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then what?" his buddy asked, not moving just yet. "The guy was right; there's no gold down there. We should just shoot 'em now and save ourselves the trouble. We can always come back and search the wreck more later, now that we know where it is."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I assure you, shooting us won't be necessary," Higgins jumped in quickly. She'd been trying to come up with something that might convince these men to get Magnum the medical attention he needed, and the new threat had her scrambling for words. "Not only will you be making a mess of your boat that could potentially be used as evidence against you—because, trust me, you can't completely sanitize this vessel no matter how hard you might try—but you'll also be passing up an opportunity to make yourselves a handsome amount of money if you called in a ransom demand for us. Our employer, Robin Masters, is rather wealthy; I'm sure he'd make it worth your while to get us back in one piece."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin was out of the country at the moment on a research trip for his next novel, but Higgins knew convincing these men to demand a ransom was the best chance she and Magnum had at surviving long enough for rescue. The men seemed to be the greedy type; appealing to that desire might just be the only way to stay alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She just hoped Magnum could hold on that long. Her eyes darted back to him, and she realised he hadn't moved since the goon had kicked him. Sweat was beading on his brow, and he was panting shallowly. She wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but she knew it was bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bald goon regarded her for a long moment, then glanced over at his friend, who shrugged and nodded. "Okay then. You'd better hope for both your sakes that you're telling the truth about this boss of yours."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sneering in agreement, the dark-haired man grabbed Higgins' right arm, yanking it behind her back as he grabbed for her left. She felt the rope close around her wrists and winced as the rough fibres bit into her skin once again. But she barely noticed as the man knotted the ropes, her focus fixed on Magnum. She felt her worry growing as she took in the way her partner was still lying on the deck, the same pained expression still flickering across his face. The Magnum she was used to seeing in a fight was always quick to get back on his feet; the fact that he had hardly moved in the last few moments was not good news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bald kidnapper pulled another coil of rope from the locker, and Higgins felt her stomach clench again as he moved for the fallen P.I.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that really necessary?" she spoke up quickly, hoping she could talk him out of tying up her partner. There was no doubt it would only worsen whatever injury Magnum had sustained. "It's not like he's going anywhere."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just smirked at her. "I guess you should have thought of that earlier," he replied before reaching down and roughly flipping the other man onto his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum's hoarse exclamation had Higgins moving forwards instinctively, but the guy behind her clamped a rough hand on her shoulder. She could do nothing but watch as the other kidnapper knelt, put a knee in the centre of Magnum's back, and wrenched the prisoner's arms behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins bit her lip at the sounds of pain she heard from her partner, her fury rising as she was forced to watch without being able to do anything about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the knot was tied and the other man stood up. He shot a look over at his buddy and Higgins, nodding in satisfaction before moving towards the back of the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins glanced back to Magnum, who seemed to be fading out of consciousness already, his eyes unfocused and movements slow and halting. He was weakly trying to shift himself to the side, most likely to take the pressure off of his stomach, and breathing heavily, but he wasn't getting very far as his legs seemed to be failing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man behind her kept his hand firmly on her shoulder, holding her in place until the other man returned a moment later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The larger kidnapper jerked his head towards the back of the boat. "I found Pete; these idiots had knocked him out. I untied him, but he's still out." He rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins felt a flash of satisfaction at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go," the man continued with a growl, reaching down to grab Magnum's bound arms and haul him to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound that tore from the injured man's throat sent Higgins' heart plummeting. She bit her lip and tried to ignore the thoughts of everything that could be wrong and how these men could be making it worse. She hoped it hadn't crossed the line to irreparable, but she also knew there was a very real chance it already had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Be careful!" she snapped, glaring at their captors. "You could kill him!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response, the man behind her just shoved her shoulder, nearly sending her sprawling. "Move," he grunted, nudging her again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to glare at him, forcing him to give her another sharp nudge before she did as she'd been told.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they reached the back of the boat, she felt her heart sink even more. A life raft was floating in the water just beside the bigger vessel, a rope on either end holding it close. It looked small and flimsy as it bobbed in the waves, and Higgins immediately noticed the missing oars. She didn't even have to guess what was coming next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, sure enough, she felt the man pushing her again. "Get in," he ordered gruffly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she hesitated, he glared at her. "Get in, or we hurt him even more."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her gaze shifted to Magnum by the side of the boat, who barely seemed able to stand on his own. The bald goon's grip on Magnum's left bicep appeared to be the only thing keeping the prisoner upright. As if to prove his buddy's point, the man holding Magnum smirked and yanked his arm upwards, drawing a hoarse, choked cry that made both criminals smirk in approval.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins swallowed and nodded, not knowing what else she could do. She certainly couldn't push the situation further without Magnum suffering for it. Stepping carefully, she tried to keep her footing as another wave bumped against the boat, then stopped by the railing to regard the situation. There was a space where the side of the boat opened to a ladder, but she wasn't sure how she was going to make the transition without falling into the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kidnapper closest to her grabbed her shoulders roughly and forced her to step forwards so she was standing at the very edge of the boat. She felt his arms bracing against her, then he gave a combination of a lift and a shove and sent her toppling into the bottom of the raft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She landed awkwardly, her instinct to break her fall not working the same on the flexible bottom of the raft as it would have on a firm surface. Something twinged in her upper right arm, but she ignored it and scrambled to push herself into a sitting position against the side of the raft. The flexible rubber bottom of the raft gave easily under her weight, and, combined with the extra effort it took without the use of her hands, she was breathless from exertion by the time she was finally upright. She glanced back at the boat just in time to see a very weak-looking Magnum stumbling towards the same edge of the railing she'd just been forced past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait—" she started to object.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two men tossed Magnum overboard into the raft, and Higgins heard her friend's strangled yelp as he landed roughly and rolled towards the opposite side of the small vessel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry; we'll let your boss know where to find you once he pays up," the taller man still on the boat called to them. "You better hope he comes through before it's too late."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the ropes were loosened, leaving the inflatable raft floating in the waves on its own. The ocean immediately began pulling them away from the larger craft, and Higgins knew they'd quickly be left in the open ocean on their own once the boat started up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The men turned away from them, and, although Higgins knew it wouldn't do any good, she still yelled after them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey! You can't leave us out here!" She glanced up, taking in the way the sun was still rising in a very cloudless sky. It was going to be a hot summer day, and, with no supplies, she knew they wouldn't last very long—Magnum especially. "He's injured! Please!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there was no response other than the revving of a boat engine before the kidnappers sped off. The wake set the raft bobbing even more as the boat grew smaller and smaller. Before long, it had disappeared over the horizon, leaving Higgins and Magnum floating alone in the middle of the ocean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The similarities to the last time they'd been left stranded at sea weren't lost on Higgins. She was just grateful they had a raft this time; there was no way they'd survive very long in their current state if they were also forced to tread water to stay afloat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A groan from Magnum pulled her attention back into the raft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What? What is it?" she asked quickly, worriedly searching his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes were closed, and he had curled in on himself again. The awkward angle of his arms being pinned tightly behind him seemed only to make things worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" Higgins asked worriedly. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she also needed to know how bad he was, what they were facing besides just having to be worried about the dehydration and heatstroke that were sure to set in quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… dunno," Magnum replied, his voice tight. "I… hit the… the corner…" He paused to take in another series of pained, shallow breaths. "Somethin's wrong… dunno what 'zactly."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip as she studied his face. His eyes were closed, the sweat gathering on his face telling just how much of a toll everything was taking on him. He could handle a lot, she knew, but she also knew everyone had their limits, and Thomas Magnum was most definitely human. He might run around like he was bulletproof, but he wasn't actually, and she was looking at the proof right in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins clenched her jaw and glanced around, hoping somehow she'd see a sign of rescue. They'd radioed for help; she'd talked to someone who'd promised to send boats and personnel to their location. The fight hadn't taken very long; although she'd been a little preoccupied to keep track of time, her best guess was that maybe fifteen minutes had passed between her finishing the radio call and the kidnappers dumping them into the raft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She'd told Magnum help should arrive within the hour, but that was a slightly fluid number based on several factors. All she could do was hope it wasn't very far off from reality and that the current didn't take them too far away from their original location because there was no doubt Magnum was seriously injured. Higgins had no idea how much longer he could hold out. Internal injuries were incredibly dangerous, and, if it was too severe, there was a chance his body would succumb to the trauma in minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she shook her head. No, she couldn't afford to think like that. She needed to get herself free and move over to help him. She couldn't do much, but she could try, see if she could do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> to help. She wiggled her arms, testing the tightness of the ropes. The circulation in her fingers was cutting out; she could feel them tingling as they grew cold. Shifting, she tried to reach the knot, but it seemed to be just out of reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The same waves that had been rocking the bigger boat while they'd been on it were lapping around the raft, and Higgins felt her stomach clench as a large one lifted their tiny craft into the air before dropping it back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gritted her teeth as she tried to brace herself against the movement and heard a small cry from Magnum's side of the raft. She looked over worriedly to see he'd slid a few inches at the movement, unable to stop himself from moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No sooner had she renewed her efforts at freeing herself than she froze as another wave swept past and sent the two of them sliding around again. This time, the force of the wave lifted the raft at a precarious angle, the end where they were sitting tilting upward and their feet going down. It tilted so far that water sloshed over the rim and into the bottom of the raft. When the wave dropped them back down again, the few centimetres of seawater rushed to where the weight of the raft's occupants had created a divot in the otherwise flat rubber bottom. Higgins felt it slosh against her legs, the water warm as it soaked into the fabric of her shorts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn't just the movement of the boat itself that caused her stomach to roll. It was the realisation that the life raft was no match for rough seas and what that would mean for the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins knew she would have little chance at treading water long enough for rescue without the use of her hands; she might last a short while, but there was no doubt in her mind she'd soon fail. Magnum had been the one to save them both the other time they'd been stranded at sea together, but neither of them had been tied up then. Sure, she'd been shot, but he'd been able to help her and keep them both going through that whole nightmarish day. With the way he was injured so severely now? A wave swamping the raft would mean almost immediate death for him, and it wouldn't take much longer for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After another few moments of fighting her bonds, Higgins had to admit she wasn't going to get herself free. The ropes were too tight, the knot too sturdy, and her efforts had only resulted in aching muscles and torn and bruised wrists that stung when the seawater started soaking the ropes. And, even after all of that, she still couldn't feel any slack; it was going to take a lot more than the right angle or brute strength to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she lay back, trying to catch her breath, a wave spun the raft around, and she felt herself slide a few inches to the right. She heard another pained grunt from Magnum and glanced over to see him looking even worse than moments before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His shirt was soaked in sweat as well as water, his face wrinkled in pain, his eyes closed as he breathed much too quickly and shallowly. As she watched, a smaller wave bumped their raft, and his expression furrowed even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins swallowed and carefully started inching her way across the small space to sit next to him. She moved slowly and cautiously, freezing as the boat bobbed again before realising it was just a wave and nothing she'd done. The idea that she might be the one to knock them both overboard made her move with even more care as she continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she came alongside her partner, she carefully shifted to stretch her legs out until her feet touched the side of the boat. She had to angle herself slightly as the raft was a little wider than she could reach, but she managed to find a position to hold herself steady after a moment. It wasn't much, but it was all she could think to do. If she sat alongside him, braced against more movements from the waves, maybe it would help. She could keep him from sliding around with every shift of the sea, which would hopefully do at least something to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just hold on," she encouraged him, clenching her teeth as another large wave sent them skimming along the surface of the water for the umpteenth time and she had to push against the edge of the craft to hold them still. "Help's on the way, okay? You just have to hold on a little longer."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He managed a tiny nod and mumbled, "Trying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins did not like how weak his voice sounded. "Talk to me, Thomas," she pressed. "You have to stay awake until help arrives." She clenched her jaw at the thought that there would be nothing she could do for him if he did fall unconscious while they were stranded. The idea that she would be forced to sit and watch him die while unable to do anything to stop it was not one she wanted to consider.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'bout what?" Magnum asked, a cough nearly obscuring the end of his question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I don't know. Anything." Distracted by another wave that lifted their raft and necessitated her bracing harder to prevent both of them sliding around, she scrambled to think of a topic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum didn't reply, and Higgins looked back at where his eyes had drifted closed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Magnum!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hm?" he mumbled, eyes remaining closed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An idea sprang to mind. "I finished reading Robin's new draft yesterday. He'd wanted to know what I thought of it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And?" Magnum still hadn't opened his eyes, but he was clearly listening, which she took as a positive sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And I thought it was good overall, but parts of it just seemed like rubbish." She purposefully kept her voice light and was rewarded when Magnum cracked an eye open and shot her a sideways glance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Rubbish'?" He sounded offended at the idea. "What parts?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins lifted an eyebrow, although she was unable to hide the rush of relief when she noticed Magnum looked a little more alert than he had moments before. "Well," she began slowly, "if I remember correctly, the very first chapter has you single-handedly fighting over a dozen men?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum made a face. "More like… seven," he corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh really?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What, you don't… think I can take out seven guys?" There was a small grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "I do know how to fight, you know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins chuckled, the severity of their situation doing nothing to negate the ridiculousness of his claim. "I have to admit, yes, I have seen you fight… moderately well on occasion. But seven guys?" she added. "All on your own? And weren't they armed?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Moderately…'" he huffed, trailing off on the end of the word. His eyes drifted shut, and Higgins quickly jumped in with a retort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, that is what I said. Do I need to be worried you have a concussion from that hit you took earlier this morning?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled in response, but his laugh choked off in a cough that deepened the pain lines etched in his face. The rush of guilt Higgins felt evaporated only slightly when Magnum seemed to recover quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think we have… worse things to be worried about," he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That may be true, but a possible concussion does mean I need to keep you awake," Higgins reported as cheerfully as she could manage, tamping down the worry she could feel increasing by the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't help that another large wave hit just then, lifting the raft and then dropping it back down to the countless smaller waves that continued to push them to and fro.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum made a face. "I've already had… more than enough experience with that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave him a look, knowing full well the occasion he was referencing. "Then perhaps quit letting yourself get knocked over the head." Higgins paused to brace against yet another wave, although she had a few seconds to prepare for it hitting their raft as it had formed a few yards ahead of their position and then swept back towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response, Magnum just gave her a sideways look. "Right. I'll just make a note of that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Should be as simple as fighting off seven men, I would think," she remarked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raised an eyebrow. "Come on. You act like it's impossible."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> have had some experience in that area," Higgins pointed out, trying to shift to adjust her seated position in the raft. Her shorts were soaked; they were both sitting in the water gathered at the bottom of the rubber boat. "I'm not saying you couldn't take on several opponents, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>seven?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I'd more likely believe the others were there, and Rick, Nuzo, and T.C. took on two men each while the last chap happened to trip over you and knock himself out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Magnum mumbled, the offense in his tone offset by the falter of the word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He coughed painfully, and Higgins quickly looked back at him. His eyes were closed again, there was moisture on his brow that she knew had nothing to do with the splashing seawater, and he was shivering despite the heat of the sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her tactic for trying to keep him talking could only go on for so long, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. She knew it would be time to worry when he started letting her get away with being dismissive of what he'd done to give Robin inspiration for the novel. Magnum wasn't one to let her slight his exploits without argument, even while he was injured and tied up. The day Thomas Magnum stopped defending himself was the day things were well past dire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then what did happen?" Higgins pressed, forcing her thoughts back to the conversation at hand. "Come on, Magnum. Open your eyes. If you won't tell me, I just have to assume my version is accurate, and you just don't want to admit it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd cracked one eye while she was talking, and now he blinked and pulled them both open. "Not how it happened," he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins licked her dry lips as he stumblingly started to narrate the scene, and she settled back against the side of the raft. Keeping an eye out for the next big wave that would threaten them, she watched her partner's face carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All she could do was hope she could keep him talking. She didn't know how long help would be, and she didn't want to think about what would happen if it was just a little too far away.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hey, have you heard from Thomas this morning?"</span>
  </em>
  <span> T.C. asked as soon as Rick picked up the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rick blinked. "Well, hello to you, too, sunshine. And no. Was I supposed to?" He was still half-asleep; he'd spent a late night doing inventory at the bar, and it seemed like he'd barely had a chance to fall into bed before his phone had started ringing. But when he'd seen who was calling, he'd immediately answered, even though he knew right away it would mean he wasn't getting any more sleep that morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Rick." </span>
  </em>
  <span>The way T.C. said his name had Rick sitting up straight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened? Where's Thomas?" he asked, already out of bed and reaching for the shirt he'd dropped on his floor the night before. "Is he okay? Where's Jules?"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Rick, bro, take a breath,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> T.C. jumped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll breathe when you tell me what happened to our friends!" Rick retorted. "Are they at the hospital? Are they missing? Do I need to call in a favor with someone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>T.C. sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"They're missing, yes, but we have an idea of where they are. How soon can you meet me at Island Hoppers? I'll explain everything when you get here."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Give me two minutes, and I'll be out the door."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they were in the air, Rick was caught up on the details of what had happened from T.C., who had been briefed by Katsumoto.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"We're working a search grid right now, but we could use more eyes," </span>
  </em>
  <span>the detective had said when he'd called T.C.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he had heard from T.C. hadn't made Rick feel any better about the situation. Thomas and Juliet had been grabbed by two unidentified men while working a case and taken out to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rosalita</span>
  </em>
  <span>—if Rick didn't hear the name of that ship again in his life, it would be too soon. But, true to form, they'd managed to get free and take control of the boat, which was when Higgins had used the radio to call in for help. She'd said something on the call about two of the criminals still being in the water and heading back to shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was as much information as anyone had. The boat had never arrived at the docks, and no additional calls had come in. What was worse, there was no craft in sight at or near the call's location, which had sparked a full-scale search of the ocean surrounding the area. Based on currents and the details Higgins had conveyed over the radio, a general search radius had been established, but there was as yet no sign of anyone lost at sea within that area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was where T.C.'s chopper came in. Not that anyone could have kept him away anyway, but the authorities were only too happy to have the help. It was notoriously difficult to spot one lost person floating in the open ocean, and two weren't much easier. No one knew if they were looking for a ship or wreckage, so the more eyes on the water, the better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rick pulled up at Island Hoppers, barely taking the time to yank the key out of the ignition before he rushed to where he knew T.C. would be waiting at the chopper. He could hear an engine running, and he found T.C. and Shammy already in their seats and ready to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clambering into the empty backseat, Rick slammed the door closed and slapped his friend in the pilot's seat on the shoulder. "Let's go get 'em!" he yelled even before he'd slipped the headset on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The skids were off the ground before Rick had finished his sentence.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Between the endless onslaught of waves and trying to keep Magnum awake—trying to keep </span>
  <em>
    <span>herself </span>
  </em>
  <span>awake—Higgins hadn't even attempted to track the passing of the sun. It was just one more thing to focus on, and she honestly hadn't had the brainpower to do so. So she had no idea how long they'd been on the water, but she did know it had been far too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt sluggish and, when she tried to shift to press closer to her partner to brace them against yet another wave, noticed how heavy her legs felt. It didn't take a genius to know she was already dehydrated and probably suffering from sunstroke; with the way they had been exposed to the searing sun for… what had it been now? Hours? She wasn't even sure anymore. Whatever length of time it had been, there was no question in Higgins' mind that she was in serious danger. Everything hurt, and she knew she would look like a boiled lobster whenever they were finally rescued. There had been no reason to put on sunscreen before they'd left to hunt down clues the night before, which meant she now had no defense against the sun's rays.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She licked her lips, noting how cracked they felt and how little moisture her tongue was able to leave on them, and looked over at Magnum again. He'd long since stopped responding to her attempts at a conversation, and she'd finally stopped prompting him. Her parched throat had hardly been able to communicate her questions anyway after a certain point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even in the bright sunlight, she could tell Magnum was as sunburnt as she felt. His eyes were closed, his head at an odd angle where he was leaning back against the raft's side. She bit down on her worry about his condition. Past the redness of the sunburn, his face was deathly pale, and only the slow rise and fall of his chest told her he was still alive… but, if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure how much longer that might be the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'No, stop that,' </span>
  </em>
  <span>she told herself sternly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>'He's going to be fine. He's survived so much before; this is just another story he'll be able to tell later.'</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum would be fine. They would be fine. The authorities knew they were missing. Rescue would come at any moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn't let herself think otherwise. In a situation like this one, hope was one of the most powerful weapons against circumstance. Despair would quickly lead to giving up, and she wasn't going to let herself do that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She settled back, dragging her aching body into more of a sitting position, and let her head tilt backwards. Closing her eyes, she took a breath and tried to make herself relax. Almost instinctively, she shifted her arms, exploring the possibility that something might have changed in the tightness of her bonds since the last time she'd tried to free herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her hands had long since gone numb from lack of circulation, and her fingers felt strange and cold even with the heat that seemed to fill the rest of her. She was sure the ropes had rubbed the skin on her wrists raw by this point, but she could barely feel it at this point—just one more sensation of numbness and pain amidst everything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she shifted her position on the raft again, trying to reposition herself, a heavy breeze suddenly blew against her back, sending her hair flying into her face. A massive wave—larger than the others had been so far—hit the raft and sent it skittering over the water's surface.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins tensed, desperately hoping they'd come to a stop. The raft tilted precariously, the end where she was sitting coming up and her feet dipping towards the waves slapping against it. When they finally slowed again, there was more water in the bottom of the raft, soaking both of their clothes even further and adding to the water that had already gathered in the bottom of the craft throughout the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was worrying Higgins most was how much the waves seemed to be growing as the wind picked up. If a storm happened to roll in while they were trapped in the middle of the ocean…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes again and took a purposefully deep breath, reminding herself it wouldn't do any good to dwell on worst-case scenarios. Regardless of how many times she'd failed in getting free so far, there was always a possibility she would be successful if she tried again. It was their only chance at this point, besides the Coast Guard showing up, and Higgins knew they couldn't just give up and hope for rescue. There was no telling when that would happen and no telling what would happen in the meantime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wave bumped against the raft again. Higgins' eyes flew open as the motion sent her sliding slightly sideways towards Magnum. As she straightened back up, she happened to glance down, and something in his pocket caught her eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The realisation that she hadn't even thought about the pocketknife Magnum usually carried made her frown. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. Granted, a lot was going on that she had to be worried about, and some part of her mind told her she'd been focused on making sure they survived and that forgetting was understandable. Regardless, she still mentally berated herself for it not occurring to her. If he had his knife with him now, they had a chance of actually getting free. She didn't recall their kidnappers searching either of their pockets; the men had taken their phones, but Magnum had been holding his, so the men hadn't needed to dig for it where they'd have discovered the tool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Higgins tilted her head in thought. They would still be floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no conceivable way to get home, but they would be less helpless. And perhaps, she thought as she took in how pale Magnum was, being able to relax the strain on Magnum's shoulders would do something to improve his condition. It was only her refusal to imagine losing anyone from the family she'd finally found that kept her from dwelling on what was becoming more of a possibility with each passing moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least they had something of a plan now. That was the most important thing. And once they were both free, they could figure out what to do next.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>"See anything?" T.C. called over the headset as they all studied the blue expanse beneath the chopper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rick saw Shammy shake his head in the front seat, echoing his own response to the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nothing yet," Rick replied, trying to keep the disappointment from his tone. There was still so much ocean to search. Although he hoped they'd luck out and find their friends quickly, he also knew there was a slim chance they would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Coast Guard had radioed a short time before that they'd caught up to the boat Higgins had radioed from. So far, the three men on board had refused to talk, but one of the boarding party had noticed the boat's life raft was missing. Rick just hoped that meant Magnum and Higgins were on that tiny vessel; he didn't want to think about the alternative.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reminded himself for the umpteenth time since they'd set out how hard it was to spot a person floating in the open water, raft or not. Between the vastness of the surface area, the way the waves and clouds cast shadows below them, and the way the sun glittered off the water, it was going to be sheer luck whenever they did spot the missing duo. And yes, Rick told himself with a firm nod, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>when </span>
  </em>
  <span>and not </span>
  <em>
    <span>if.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wasn't counting his friends out yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made him think of the numerous missions they'd run while overseas. Of course, they'd never had to search an ocean—Afghanistan wasn't exactly a coastal country—but he and T.C. had flown together many times. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> made him think about Thomas and Nuzo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rick clenched his jaw. As much as he'd resolved to keep his thoughts positive, he was also a realist, and he knew how small the chance was that they'd find their missing friends. Thinking of how they'd failed to find Nuzo in time just made him that much more worried a similar situation could play out here. The ocean was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>big </span>
  </em>
  <span>place, and any number of things could have happened in the hours since Thomas and Juliet had gone missing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rick shook his head and took a deep breath, risking taking a moment to close his eyes and refocus. It wouldn't help to start thinking of all the ways they could fail in their mission. Tommy and Jules couldn't afford for him to get distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he opened his eyes again, Rick took another breath and glanced out of the far window, letting his gaze drift across the horizon for a moment. T.C. was watching through the windshield while Shammy took the right side, and Rick was supposed to be studying the left-hand side of the scenery below them. And scenic it was; any other day, he would have been admiring the tropical paradise he sometimes still had trouble believing was his home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But not today. Today, he was fully occupied with the fact that his friends—his family—were lost at sea under an unforgiving sun, and he had to push away the nagging thoughts of what could have happened in the time since Higgins' radio call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, something dark caught Rick's attention. He froze, sure it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It could have been a shadow or a mirage or a large shark swimming just below the surface—any one of a hundred different things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding his breath, Rick searched for it again. His eyes darted back and forth, desperately hoping he'd see it a second time. He told himself not to get his hopes up, that it was probably nothing. It was most likely just the sun playing tricks on him and would turn out to be nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shaded his eyes with his hand as his gaze swept over the section of the ocean where he'd seen the shadowy spot. There was nothing but open water, and he started to let out his breath in a sigh. There hadn't been anything there after all. Disappointment crept in to replace the anticipation he'd felt seconds before, and he—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait. There it was again!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And this time, Rick was absolutely certain of what he was seeing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a whoop and then yelled into his headset, </span>
  <em>
    <span>"There they are!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Matching shouts from the cockpit echoed Rick's before T.C. banked the chopper. As Shammy got on the radio to alert the others in the search party, Rick was already scrambling to gather up the first aid gear and jump into the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jules was waving at them, the motion of her arm telling just how tired but also elated she was. What worried Rick more was how still Thomas looked, but he swallowed down that fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All that mattered was that they'd been found. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>"Hey." Rick's hushed voice met Magnum's ears as the patient's eyes slowly focused on the ceiling tiles above his bed. "You know, it's not polite to keep your friends waiting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum blinked, frowning as he tried to form words. Everything felt slow and muddled. "What…" He trailed off without asking the full question, his throat raspy and voice hoarse. There was a dull ache of some kind in the vicinity of his lower abdomen, but whatever had his thoughts all mixed up was doing a pretty good job of dulling his senses. He had a sinking feeling he'd end up experiencing the actual pain once he was more awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Rick just shook his head as he reached for something off to the side. Magnum turned his head to try to follow but found he was moving surprisingly slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A dull rattle preceded Rick offering a spoonful of ice chips, which Magnum gratefully accepted. The cold liquid from the melting ice rolled around in his mouth before trickling down his sore throat, and Magnum closed his eyes briefly before looking back at his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something in Magnum's expression must have told his friend he had more questions because Rick sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, man. Can't tell you much yet. Doctor's orders."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum frowned. "Rick—" He coughed, and his friend put a hand on his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry," Rick said quickly, giving the patient a reassuring smile. "You're gonna be okay. And Higgy is fine; much better off than you right now." Then he made a face. "Although, by that, I just mean she's not the one still in a hospital bed." He winked. "You're both okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnum felt like he'd have more questions if he didn't still feel like he was floating in a fog, but he didn't have a chance to even try to say anything else before there was a knock on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Light from the hallway broke through the dimness of the hospital room, and Magnum glanced in its direction to see a woman in scrubs slipping inside. He knew he'd be dealing with a long list of questions and more poking and prodding than he wanted at the moment before much longer. He also knew the ordeal would probably have him drifting back off to sleep out of pure exhaustion by the time he was done, and he didn't want to have to wait that long for answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, T.M." Rick reached over and patted his forearm where it was resting on top of the blanket. "I've got your back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't exactly the answers he was looking for, but the reassurance was enough for the moment. If his brother said everything was going to be okay, then it was going to be okay.</span>
</p>
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